This book should be required by all Health Care Professionals to read. As a Professional Chaplain, I experience many staff members, in the hospital, who do not seem to express the heart that goes along with the healing of the patients, in the Body, the mind, and the Spirit, that is needed to bring about the healing of the total person. How can we experience God in our lives, if we can't see him within the people?

Harold Koenig is a leading expert in the field of religion and health. He is a member of the faculty of the departments of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University. He has published widely in the areas of religion and mental health and geriatrics . He has co-authored or authored 15 books and 150 peer-reviewed journal articles. This pocket-sized book will be useful for clinicians, especially physicians, psychologists, social workers and nurses.

Prior to the year 2000, nearly 1200 studies had examined the relationship between religion and health, with the majority finding a link between religion and better health. In the past five years many new studies have also been conducted that support the findings from older ones. Before dismissing the findings on religion and health as irrelevant to patient care, clinicians should have a basic knowledge of the research that now exists.

Whether religion is good or bad for health, studies indicate that it is a powerful factor influencing adaptation to illness, medical decisions, health beliefs and behaviors. Although we continue to struggle with how to apply information relating religion and health to clinical practice, sensitive and sensible applications do exist. This little book is an excellent, practical resource that will help in doing just that.